Mishap On The Mountain |
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Author: Abby
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Type: Original Stories
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Rating: Moderate
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Status: Complete
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hello, i wrote this short story for an english thing about a year ago. it’s actually about some incident that happened to myself, i’m the main character in this story. i guess i would categorize it as dramatized realistic fiction, since i (spoiler) didn’t actually fracture my right ankle or i don’t love skiing this much. i don’t particularly like this story, but i’m still proud of it. hope you enjoy…!
please note that italicized paragraphs are thoughts in the main character’s head.
Mishap On The Mountain: A Realistic Fiction Short Story[]
Today was going to be a great day on the mountain. The mountain was in incredible condition, her skiis is were freshly waxed, and she was feeling great. The soft powder from the overnight sprinkle gave cushioning to the previous layer of snow. Although the snow was cold, it somehow gave her a comfort she couldn’t place, nor identify. She loved skiing because it is a part of who she is, she couldn’t imagine it any other way. After a couple warm-up runs with her father, mother, and sister, she was ready to actually ski. She wobbled up to the scanner, and lifted her left forearm up to the scanner, and it gave its usual beep. After slightly wobbling a little more, she finally got to the entryway of the lift, where it sorts people into single-file rows.
She’s short for her size, unlike her very unique personality. Her friends described her as creative, passionate about a lot of things, smart, strong, and fiery, at times. She valued her personal qualities that made her who she is today. Her hair is slightly longer than medium length, it's soft to the touch from using shampoo and conditioner daily. It’s dark-medium blonde, like the color of where sand meets dirt on most California beaches. On warm summer days with a slight breeze, it flows like a lion’s mane. That’s where her nickname, “lion’s head’ comes from. Her hair is another thing she values a lot. Her eyes are blue-greyish, the color of jeans that has seen it’s fair share of adventures.
Most of the time, she’s calm and collected. The other times though... She doesn't talk about those times. Even though some people see her temper as a flaw, she sees it as a benefit. A flaw that makes her who she is. A flaw that she loves.
Ever since fourth grade, she has been ashamed of her height. At the mountain, she doesn't have time to be ashamed or discouraged about it. She has been taunted all her life about it, but it's a part of who she is, she can’t choose her height, and she knows it. She wants to tell other people this, but it seems they just will not listen and it frustrates her.
When the time came to board the lift, the three of them sat onto the lift chair. She was significantly shorter than her father, so she had to gain a bit of momentum to jump onto the chair lift. As she jumped onto the chair lift, she had a sense that she successfully got onto the chair lift. She did it once again successfully, at least she thought…
She felt that something was ever so slightly off, and then she realized it. She didn’t properly get on the chair lift. Her eyes widened, as realization struck her mind. Her dad said something, but she couldn’t quite make it out or believe it. Suddenly, she’s holding on and slipping at the same time. Her father told her that she needs to let go, or he’ll fall with her. She then prepared for impact, and let go. She fell, almost like how a leaf slowly but surely flitters down from its home tree. It almost feels like time has slowed, just for her. She then landed on the firm, yet soft, snowy ground.
Laughter turned into gasps, people asked multiple times if she’s ok.
“Is she ok?”
“Oh no! She fell!”
“Hey, is she injured?”
“Waaahhhhhh!”
Even the baby on cute mini-skis was crying. She would eye-roll at this, but she just didn’t feel like it. She was a-ok, but her ankle felt a bit sore. She thinks she might have broken it, and she is correct. Although it looks like she has her eyes closed from the black tint of her new ski goggles, her eyes are open. It seems that the people and their voices fade away, while everything else also fades away. It’s just herself in a blank white area that has snow fluttering down. She looks around for the source of the snow, but can’t find where it came from, no clouds, no generators. Her one ski is still attached to her boot, because her bindings are always just right, she checks them before and after ski trips.
She instantly sits up, the moment she just experienced took about 3.1415926535 seconds. It felt like about the longest 3.14 seconds ever. The same numbers as pi, exactly the first 11 digits. Her favorite number. She maneuvers her body to a sitting position, then stands up. Or she at least tries to. As she stood up, there was a sudden sharp pain in her ankle. It wasn’t there before she fell. Did she break her ankle? Will it end her season? Or even worse, end her career?!
No, this couldn’t be happening. All kinds of negative thoughts rushed through her head. She knew that she had to clear her head, and act according to plan. She knew how to deal with these situations, she had been taught by her mentor, her personal ski instructor. She half-wobbled half-crawled through the slightly deep powdered snow. The powdered snow was just about reaching her stomach. She eventually reached the platform for the lift, which felt like forever. With people watching, it felt like 3 years.
This day has certainly taken a turn for the worse… There’s so many eyes looking at me, I can't even tell if they are judging me or just seeing if I'm going to be ok. Sammie is totally going to tease me these next few years, hopefully she doesn’t. She’s usually nice about these things. Emphasis on the “usually”…
She gets back on the platform, but it hurts so bad to even take a step. Since her dad and her sister were already on the lift, she decided to wait until they skied down. Not that she had a choice, since her ankle was fairly injured. The lift she was on, the Sunrise lift, had a lodge next to it where skiers and snowboarders could eat and rest. It even had a gift shop, since the mountain was a popular ski resort for locals and tourists alike. She decided to sit on the steps and wait.
Eventually, her father and her sister arrived. According to her father’s assessment of her leg, it turns out she did break her ankle. Her sister picked her up and the three of them walked to the car parked in the slightly icy parking lot. The parking lot was much more packed with cars than when they first got there.
Around an hour later, they arrived at the hospital. Her sister helped her wobble to the giant entrance to the hospital. This means time for a trip to the hospital to get a cast and crutches. When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor conducted a few tests and the results were in. When the doctor walked back a few minutes later, she stated,
“No more skiing for the rest of the year, so be careful walking wherever you go. You fractured and broke your right ankle, and twisted the left ankle as well. You're lucky you didn’t break your arm in the process. That would make getting around a ton more difficult. You’ll also have to use these crutches that should fit you.”
No more skiing for the rest of the year?! And I have to be careful when I’m walking since I have to use crutches. This means I won’t be able to even jog properly! Is this the end of my ski seasons? Will I even be able to recover from this? I don’t want to throw away all of my perfect opportunities…
“As if it already is..” she whispered under her breath so that no one could hear. Apparently, that didn’t work. Her sister, who was standing right next to where she was sitting, heard this and let out a small giggle. Her sister looked back at her and winked, although no one except her sister would see.
Fast forward around 40 minutes later, and she wakes up. She’s still in the car, and the four of them just entered their private neighborhood. Was this all a dream? She looks down, and sees a bulky cast. It’s tight on her leg, but it somehow brings comfort. Kinda like the cast is hugging her in the leg, as if it was a small child huddled behind her, seeking safety. The uncomfortable part is when she gets sweaty. The cast is damp, it doesn’t smell too great. Although she had difficulty getting out of the car, she could manage this.
This is my life now, I guess. Whatever. I can deal with this, I’ve dealt with much harder before. I think…
Suddenly, it’s 6 weeks later. She used to see her injury as a major event that would end her ski career, but now she has come to terms with it. Her surgery would come up here in one week, then she had several more weeks to heal. Soon enough, she would be on the slopes, dominating the moguls that get in her way. The days racked up, so quickly that she could almost feel it. She could almost smell the crisp pines, and smell the cold in the air. She could almost taste the snow, feel her brain freeze the moment she put her tongue to snow. It would have to wait another 6 weeks. She was so close, yet so far…